The Opera Ghost Newsie Style
by Socks O'Connor
Summary: It's Phantom of the Opera, and it's Newsies, and guess what! They're together!
1. The Cast

Women:  
~Christine Daaé: Sarah Jacobs  
~Carlotta Guidicelli: Socks O'Connor  
~Madame Giry: Moe Jenkins  
~La Sorrelli: RiffRaff McColley  
~Meg Giry: Autumn Jenkins  
~Mama Valérius: Medda  
~Jammes: Fool Walker  
~Madame Firmin: Stress Jacobs  
~Ballet/Chorus Girls:  
1. Tunes O'Connor  
2. Pyro O'Shea  
3. Illusion Lenin  
4. Lotus Blossom Prinze  
5. Hades Deva  
6. Aki O'Brien   
7. Holiday Blackett  
8. Martini Parker  
9. Princess MacEaver  
10. Cats MacMillan  
11. Peppermint Blake  
12. Marissa Blake  
13. Siscily Wexler  
14. Sunset Westing  
15. Singer Morris  
~The Concierge: Spadey Lawrence  
  
Men:   
~Phantom: Spot  
~Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny: Jack  
~Monsieur Firmin: David Jacobs  
~Monsieur Andre: Specs McCormick  
~Ubaldo Piangi: Skittery  
~Monsieur Debienne: Kloppman  
~Monsieur Poligny: Denton  
~Actors, Dancers, Singers, and Other Parts:  
1. Mush  
2. Snitch  
3. Bumlets  
4. Itey  
5. Racetrack  
6. Boots  
7. Pie Eater  
8. Dutchy  
9. Snoddy  
10. Kid Blink Morris  
11. Charlie McAllen  
12. Nods Alexander  
13. Sharks O'Malley  
14. Chester McCoy  
15. Basil Wexler  
~Joseph Buquet: Swifty   
  
Couples: Racetrack and Tunes  
Bulmets and Holiday  
Mush and Hades  
Specs McCormick and Sunset  
Kid Blink and Martini  
Chester McCoy and Singer 


	2. Author's Notes

Author's Notes:  
Alright, in order to write this story, I've messed with a lot of things. David and Sarah Jacobs aren't related, though they still share the same last name. David and Specs are older, I'd say about mid-twenties. The others ages remain the same except for Denton's, whose age I also increased. Lets see. Nobody was a newsie; nobody is one now. Basically, I took the story of Phantom of the Opera, the characters from Newsies (and used mainly their names, personalities and looks. That's about it.) and set them in early 20th Century NYC in a well-known Opera House. I do believe that's all you need to know to understand this story for the most part.   
  
A Note to the CC girlies: If I've written your character wrong, TELL ME! I'll fix it! 


	3. Part One

"No! Begin again!" Moe ordered with a stomp of her foot. The Corps de Ballet groaned as she marched over to Skittery.  
"Say 'girl'." She crossed her arms.  
"Goil," Skittery complied.  
"No. Girl."  
"Goil."  
Moe glared at him. "Guh-err-luh." She didn't wait for him to try again, just turned heel and marched back to her spot at the front of the stage. She gave a nod to the conductor.  
The Corps de Ballet began to dance as Skittery and Socks sauntered out amongst them. They got to their places just as Moe yelled "Early!" to them. Soon after their cues came and Skittery stepped forward and belted:  
"Vain! In vain to I call through my vigil weary,  
On Creation and its Lord!  
Never reply will break the silence dreary!  
No sign! No single word!"  
An interlude of music began as Socks and Skittery moved to the side of the stage and the dancers began their routine.   
Denton and Kloppman, the current managers of the Opera house, wandered up the stairs to the stage absentmindedly, being followed by David and Specs, their successors. "This is our Corps de Ballet," Denton started to explain.  
"And we are in the middle of a rehearsal!" Moe shouted out, interrupting him. Specs' eyes got wide.  
"Is that Socks O'Connor?" he asked, seemingly in awe. He rushed over to where she was. "It's a pleasure, really," he gushed, and bowed deeply, causing Fool Walker to trip.  
"Stop!" Moe ordered and the Corps de Ballet halted their dance, and huddled into little groups, talking quickly as young girls tend to do.  
"What is it you gentlemen want, exactly?" Moe asked haughtily.   
"Perhaps you'd like to hear her sing," Kloppman suggested to Specs. Specs nodded ecstatically and stepped away. The Corps de Ballet talked excitedly among themselves.   
"She's going to sing for us!" Tunes O'Connor hissed into Illusion's ear. "How exciting! She never sings when I ask her to!"  
Socks sauntered to center stage and conversed with the conductor quietly, then nodded at him, and two bars cue was played before she began to sing.   
"Think of me, Think of me fondly when we've said goodbye!  
Remember me; every so often promise me you'll try!  
When you find, that once again you long, to take your heart right back with me,   
If you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me…"  
Socks got no further, because at that moment, a background came crashing down from above. Socks was fortunate enough to be standing in the spot where there was a doorway cut into it. The lights flickered and a low growl escaped from Socks' mouth as she glared straight ahead of her.   
"It's the Opera Ghost!" Fool yelled and ran over and attached herself to RiffRaff McColley. Some of the stagehands ran out from the wings, looking about worriedly. Martini went and looked at Kid Blink frightened. He put her arms around her, trying to soothe her.   
"Opera Ghost," Socks scoffed.  
"I'm sorry, Socks, but sometimes these things happen," Denton explained.  
"These things happen," Socks repeated, her voice sounded amazingly and deceivingly calm. "Well, until you stop these things from happening, I can assure you that this thing," she pointed to herself, "will not happen!" She let out a "humph!" and stalked off the stage, grabbing her coat and pulling it on as she went. Skittery took one look at the scene before him and followed suit, muttering "Amateurs," as he ran out of the opera house.   
"Terrific, gentlemen, terrific," Moe said flatly. "Perhaps next time you will think again before interrupting a rehearsal? And a dress rehearsal, at that? The performance will have to be cancelled until we can get Socks and Skittery to come back. I'm sure if someone talks to Skittery, he'll come around, but you know how Socks is. There's no other choice. We'll have to cancel the performance."  
The managers looked at one another and shrugged.  
"Sirs?" Autumn Jenkins stepped forward and said, somewhat timidly. "Sarah Jacobs could sing it." She stepped back next to Moe as the managers looked at one another.  
"The chorus girl?" they murmured, turning and looking at her. "Have you had any training?" Kloppman asked her.  
"Yes, sir," she answered promptly.   
"Who is your teacher?" Denton quizzed.  
Sarah looked helplessly at Autumn. "I… don't know," she admitted.  
Denton scratched his head curiously and Kloppman was about to berate Sarah and Autumn when Moe broke in.   
"Let her sing," she instructed, giving no other options to any of the parties involved. The managers shrugged and stepped back allowing Sarah to come forward.   
Sarah came forward and closed her eyes nervously as the music cues began.   
"Think of me, Think of me fondly when we've said goodbye!  
Remember me, once in a while; please promise me you'll try!  
When you find, that once again you long, to take your heart right back with me,   
If you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me…"  
"Weak," one of the men muttered as she sang timidly. Sarah ignored this and continued to sing, getting stronger with every word.  
"Think of me, think of me waking silent and resigned,  
Imagine me, trying to hard to put you from my mind,  
Think of me; please say you'll think of me, whatever else you choose to do,  
There will never be a day when I won't think of you…"  
Sarah stopped singing and looked around. Many of the members of the Corps de Ballet had their mouths hanging open, and were gawking at her. Autumn just grinned at her and gave her a thumbs-up.  
"Well, then, someone talks to Skittery, and we're on for tonight's performance," Denton said, smiling. He nodded at Kloppman, and Kloppman nodded back. "So, Sarah will sing tonight, and, Sirs," he looked to David and Specs, "I think we have some things to go over right now. Ladies, gentlemen." They excused themselves and took the soon-to-be managers of the opera to the office they shared.  
Moe sighed. "Alright then, I guess that'll do. Be here at five to get ready for open. Warm up at six." Moe clapped her hands once and the cast started to talk among themselves.  
"I'm scared for tonight!" Princess confessed to Cats as they started getting their things together.  
Cats shrugged. "Don't worry about it. You'll do fine." She stopped and looked to make sure Moe was out of earshot. "Besides, she works us like mules, until it's beaten into our heads. I can understand wanting a good show, but give me a break!" Cats shook her head and slipped her coat on, then picked up her bag. "Let's go," she said and linked her arm in Princess's, and the two of them walked out of the building.   
"Hades! Wait for me!" Mush called from up by the flies. "I'll be down in a minute."  
"If you aren't down here in 60 seconds I'm leavin' without ya!" She tapped her foot impatiently, shifting her bag on her shoulder. Mush came flying down the stairs in no time flat and skidded to a stop right next to her.  
Kid Blink laughed at him, and took Martini's hand, walking out with her, as well as Singer Morris, his little sister, and her boyfriend Chester McCoy. They were followed by Mush and Hades, and the other assorted chorus members. 


	4. Part Two

That night, the opera came off quite successfully. Many a guest was surprised to see that Socks O'Connor was not singing as the queen in the performance of Hannibal, but were not disappointed with Sarah Jacobs' rendition of it. Instead, they were quite enthralled. One person in particular was pleased at what he saw. This man was Jack Kelly. He recalled this beauty when she was a mere child of six, and she lost her scarf in the harbor because of the wind, and was very much saddened by it. He remembered the little boy who ran into the cold water and retrieved it, against the protests of his mother. He remembered frequently seeing her wandering through the streets, singing with her pretty child's voice as her father played his violin beautifully. And now he was watching her perform in the most prominent opera house in the city. He was almost proud to know her. When she finished her aria, "Think of me", the house roared with applause, and a certain young man stood to his feet and whistled for her, shouting for an encore as the rest of the cast made their way to the stage. They all gave a bow, and then the stage lights went off, and the house lights came up. Jack rushed out of his box and backstage to where the dressing rooms were.   
Moe was walking down the hall, tapping on each door, telling them to hang up their costumes carefully so that they'd work for each performance.   
"Mother?" Autumn said, peeking her head out of her door.   
"Yes?" Moe answered.   
"Must I wear the brown dress to the gala?" Autumn made a face showing that she would rather not.  
"Suit yourself, but wear a coat if you go anywhere outside. And be careful." Moe nodded in decision and continued down the hall.   
Jack sauntered down the hall until he found Sarah's room. He knocked on the door, and then opened it. He smiled at her, as she studied his face carefully.  
"Hi, remember me? I'm the boy who rescued your scarf! Don't you remember?" He looked at her hopefully as she showed signs of remembrance.   
"Jack?" she whispered.   
Jack nodded affirmative.   
"How have you been?" she asked him.  
"It doesn't matter, I'm wonderful now! Say, will you go to dinner with me tonight?" he asked her.  
She looked like she wanted to, and he took that as a yes, before she got the chance to reply.   
"Alright, you change, and I'll be back in five minutes!" he told her and rushed out of the room.   
Sarah looked around the room helplessly as a voice sounded in the room.   
"Sarah? What are you doing? Are you going out with that boy tonight instead of keeping our tryst?" it asked her.   
"No-no, I would never miss our appointment," she assured the voice, though she knew not which way to look to address it.   
"Good," was all it said in affirmation.  
"May I ask you a question?"  
"Yes."  
"Will I ever be able to see you, my Angel of Music? I'm longing so to see the genius who makes me sing so beautifully."  
"Look at yourself in the mirror."  
Sarah complied and went over to the mirror. "I only see myself there," she told him.  
"Look closer, you'll see I am right there with you."  
Sarah did so and gasped. "Angel! I see you!" she exclaimed and found herself suddenly in a dark underground place, though she knew not where it was.  
Jack was outside the door, and heard these voices. It hurt him to think that she'd agreed to dine with him when there was another man she was consorting with as well. When he suddenly heard no more voices, though, he became confused. He swung the door open to find complete darkness. He turned on the electric light to find an empty room.   
"Where are you?!" he shouted. "Sarah?! What Angel is this you're speaking to?! Sarah? Sarah! Angel? What Angel, Sarah?" He looked helplessly around the room once more, and still finding it empty, he went out and closed the door behind him. He supposed he'd have to dine alone that night, once again. Next time, he would not let her escape him, though. 


	5. Part Three

Jack stood at the end of the hall, dejectedly. He'd wanted to catch up with Sarah, and now hadn't gotten to do so because in the five minutes he'd given her to change, she had disappeared with some mysterious "angel".   
  
In the meantime, there was a lot of commotion in the lobby. At that very same moment, Mrs. Jacobs sat speaking with Sunset Westing.   
  
"David is so excited about taking over such a well known theater. He's hardly said a word about anything all week because of it."  
Sunset laughed. "If only I had that problem! Specs won't stop talking, and he always talks about all the things he's going to do as manager. This and that he'll change, and this and that he'll improve. I can't even recall most of them. He just keeps talking!"   
  
Stress laughed. "Where are those two anyway? I haven't seen them since they rushed out of the box once the lights came up."  
Sunset shrugged and stood up. "Let's go find them," she suggested.  
  
Stress nodded and linked her arm in Sunset's walking off with her.  
  
Nearby, many members of the Corps de Ballet were standing and chatting.  
  
"Socks is never going to forgive me for coming and performing tonight, but there's no way I could afford another absence. Moe is ready to kill me as it is," Tunes whined, hanging on Racetrack. "And I can't believe they replaced her with Sarah! She'll never forgive me!"  
  
Aki shook her head. "She'll get over it and come back. She always does. Besides, the managers will go crawling back to her anyways if she's gone too long!" She crossed her arms and pushed her dress down some. Many members of the Corps de Ballet were still in their costumes, much to Moe's dismay.   
  
Holiday shrugged. "Sarah did a fantastic job. Maybe they'll make her the diva from now on!"  
  
Tunes gasped. "You mean replace my sister? That would be terrible! I'd never have any spending money then!"  
  
Juliet scratched her head. "What do you mean you wouldn't have any spending money? That hardly seems like something you ought to worry about."  
  
Tunes shrugged. "She pays for everything, and I keep my own money for spending money. Why do you think I dress so well?" she replied haughtily.   
  
Lotus Blossom (also known as Lotty by many of the girls, and some of the guys as well) snickered and muttered something along the lines of "yeah right", which earned a glare from Tunes, as well as one from Racetrack.  
  
"I think you dress beautifully," he assured her in a gushing tone. She giggled and kissed he cheek cutely, making a big show of it.   
  
Pyro walked over behind them discreetly and started fiddling with her lighter, attempting to light Tunes on fire, it seemed. Lucky for Tunes, though, Moe happened by at that moment.   
  
"I'll be taking that," she said and snatched up the lighter. "And as for all of you in your costumes: If you get one drop of anything on it, it will come out of your salary." With this, she strolled off, as if the matter was at that very moment off of her shoulders. The girls all looked at one another silently, contemplating Moe's ultimatum. Cats, Pyro, Tunes, and Peppermint chose this moment to rush back down to their dressing room to change into normal clothes. They returned shortly after primping and straightening for near fifteen minutes, as girls tend to do.  
  
At that moment, Hades and Mush came sauntering up, both looking quite disheveled.   
  
Cats laughed out loud. "Wonder what they were doing!" she mused and laughed again. Some of the other laughed as well.   
  
Siscily looked at them then back. "Yes, I wonder what they were doing. I mean, how can you get that messy just by talking?" she stated innocently and shrugged.  
  
Some of the others just looked at her for a moment, and then chuckled as quietly as they could muster.   
  
"Yes, you're quite right, Siscily. There's no way that could have been achieved by just talking," Holiday agreed.   
  
"What is she right about?" Hades asked, trying to sound innocent, but the wide grin on her face telling otherwise.   
  
Aki laughed. "Hi there, Hades and Mush. Where have you been since curtain call?" She giggled at them as Hades just looked smug and said nothing.   
  
Pyro sighed. "Do any of you have a lighter?"  
  
Everyone murmured that they didn't.   
  
"Matches? Anything?" she begged.  
  
Once again she received a negative as an answer.   
  
"Damn," she sighed and sat down in a nearby chair, her chin in her hand.  
  
Princess came running up. "Do you guys know what the next show we're doing is?!" she practically squealed.  
  
The others looked at her with interest. "Is it Romeo and Juliet?" Martini asked excitedly. She'd always had the dream that she'd be Juliet and Kid Blink could be her Romeo.   
  
Princess shook her head. "Guess again!"  
  
Illusion thought. "Marriage of Figaro?" she asked.  
  
Princess shook her head again. "One more guess!"  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Martini whined. "Just tell us!"  
  
Princess looked smug for a moment. "We're going to do… Il Muto. I heard the new managers discussing it as they went into the office with Denton and Kloppman!"  
  
The others looked at her blankly. "Oh come on! You've heard of it!"  
  
She received more blank looks. "Well, fine, it means lots of fun dancing parts anyways!" At this she got many excited looks. They began to talk all at the same time about how they would be the lead dancer in this show, though all of them knew in their heads that it would end up being RiffRaff; it always was. And because most of what they were saying was incomprehensible because they were all speaking at once, they are left in the lobby, and the narrator will travel to a little office up the stairs and to the left where at that moment, four managers of the opera were sitting; two very old, tired gentlemen, and two younger gentlemen, who sat listening eagerly to every word the older gentlemen uttered. 


	6. Part Four

"I think that's covered, is it not, gentlemen?" Kloppman finished. Denton nodded slowly, while David and Specs nodded enthusiastically. They were just glad to be taking over such a prominent theatre.   
"Is that all?" David asked, then made to stand up.   
Kloppman looked at Denton gravely for a moment.  
"Wait just a minute," Denton stopped him. David leaned back in his seat and watched the two older men with interest. He couldn't imagine what else there could be. Denton drew out a book from a drawer in the desk. The book was about the size of a modern-day binder, and bore the word "Memorandums" on its light gray color. Specs and David exchanged glances, then returned their attentions forward again and listened.   
"This contains the Ghost's instructions," Denton informed the two young men in front of him.  
"Excuse me-Ghost?" Specs asked curiously.  
Denton and Kloppman nodded. David and Specs looked at one another for a moment, then looked forward again in disbelief as they listened to the old men take turns reading aloud from the book.  
" 'And finally, I expect to be paid 20,000 francs each month on the first. You will seal it up in an envelope, which I will provide and seal it (with your official seal), and place it in the trustworthy hands of Moe Jenkins, who, as I mentioned before, is to be kept at the post of watching my box as always. Once again, you are never to sell my box, nor place another person in the charge of it. And with this, I will leave you very much in peace at all times.'" Kloppman finished reading.   
"Any questions, gentlemen?" Denton asked. Specs and David just continued to stare for a time, then looked at one another, and then forward again. It was at this moment that they broke into hysterical laughter.  
"What's so funny?" Kloppman queried, looking quite confused.  
David and Specs continued to laugh uncontrollably.   
"Good one, you two!" Specs huffed. "A ghost in the opera house!" He started to wheeze.  
"I assure you we aren't joking," Denton remarked soberly.  
Specs and Davey slowly calmed themselves.   
"Alright, guys, Opera Ghost, then, eh? Okay, we'll play along," David sighed, finishing his laughter. "Oh my! We must be sure to do everything the ghost tells us to! I'm scared of what he might do!" he enthused, managing to keep a straight face until the last line. At this he and Specs burst into laughter again.   
"Fine, joke if you will, but it is no longer in our hands what happens, gentlemen. Kindly remember that when the first disaster occurs."  
Both Denton and Kloppman stood up at this point. "Well, there is a party down in the lobby for us, so I suppose we ought to get back to it now," Denton said cordially. He held out his hand in front of him, followed by Kloppman. "Enjoy your theatre, and take care of her as well as we have." The four shook hands and exited the office.  
Just outside the office at that time, though, Snoddy and Bumlets were conversing quietly.  
"We shouldn't tell them now. Not tonight. It's their retirement party," Bumlets argued.  
"But they have to know! They're still the ones in charge until tomorrow! We gotta tell 'em!" Snoddy shot back.  
"Tell whom what?" Denton asked as they exited the office.   
Bumlets looked startled. "Oh it's uh-n-well-we-"  
"We… we found Swifty dead in the cellar. He was… hanged it looks like." Snoddy said quietly.  
"Good god," Kloppman muttered, and then ran helter-skelter down the stairs. Denton sideswiped Fool Walker as he ran through the lobby.   
"Owe!" She whined as she stood up. RiffRaff patted her arm.  
"You'll be fine, dear," she assured the young girl as if she were three years old still. Sharks rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like "Oh, grow up…" before hugging RiffRaff possessively once more. He didn't care what was happening, he just wanted to make sure everyone knew that she was his, no questions asked. (As if anyone would have ever thought otherwise anyway.)  
"What did they come running through here like bats outta hell anyways?" RiffRaff sneered. "They oughta have some respect for people. Well, namely: me." She nodded decisively, as if her statement ought to make sense to everyone.   
Across the room, the Corps de Ballet had finished their outbursts and were now calmly conversing with one another in their rather large group. 


	7. Part Five

"Who does he think he is? Just running into me like that," Illusion whined and crossed her arms.   
"Oh, shut up, Illusion. The world doesn't revolve around you," Lotty pointed out and gave her a glare. This statement was rewarded with a dramatic show of Illusion's tongue, at which Lotty gave an even more dramatic sigh.  
Aki rolled her eyes. "Will you cut it out?" she whined.   
"I just want to know what it was they came tearing through here for. There's got to be a reason. They wouldn't just decide to wreak havoc in their retirement party for fun," Princess pointed out, hoping to steer the conversation away from the arguments.  
Singer, who was clinging to Chester McCoy's arm as if she'd never let go again, just shrugged. "Maybe some of the scenery fell over," she brainstormed.   
Martini shrugged. "I don't think so. They would have called Blinky down with them," she said then turned to Kid Blink and smiled. He leaned down a little and they rubbed noses, causing some of the other girls to gag and moan to make them stop.   
"Cut it out, Blink," Singer said with a roll over her eyes. She whacked him on the chest then leaned her head against Chester's shoulder.   
"Shut up, Singer, nobody asked you," he retorted.  
Singer rolled your eyes. "I can say whatever I want to you. I'm your sister."  
Blink shook his head. "No, you can't."  
"Yes, I can."  
"No."  
"Yes."   
"No."  
"Yes."  
"Shut up!" Marissa Blake yelled. "God, shut up! Nobody wants to hear you bick--"  
"Marissa! You're not helping it any," Peppermint scolded.  
"Can't you all take your bickering somewhere else?" Holiday moaned.  
"We're not bickering!" the four of them shot at her simultaneously.  
Holiday just stared, and then began to snicker a little. Soon her snickers grew and she turned and started to full out laugh into Bumlets' chest. The four looked at one another and each rolled his eyes. Nobody seemed to know what the joke was but Holiday.  
Autumn approached and looked around. "What's going on?" she asked quietly.  
Hades shrugged. "We don't know. Nobody will tell us."  
Bumlets looked at Snoddy carefully, and just looked down, his arm around Holiday. She had looked up to witness this. "What is it?" she asked him quietly, and other people looked over at the couple that was being unusually quiet. Bumlets' looked down at her nervously.  
"No-Nothing…" he told her and looked away. Holiday reached up and turned his head so he was looking directly into her eyes. "Tell me," she hissed at him. Bumlets pursed his lips then sighed.   
"Swifty's dead," he told her quietly and then looked away.  
There was curious murmuring because nobody but Holiday could hear him.   
"Really?" Holiday asked him in a whisper. Bumlets nodded. He looked over at Snoddy. This irked Marissa. She didn't know what was going on now, so she went straight up to Snoddy and put her hands on her hips.  
"Tell me. Now," she ordered. Even though she stood a full head shorter than him, Snoddy found this quite intimidating. He just looked at her for a moment, and then gave a sigh.  
"We found Swifty… hanging down in the basement. He's… he's dead." He looked away, and Marissa just stared. Siscily gasped, and fainted cold away, causing Basil to run over and try to revive his little sister. Some of the girls clung to one another, others clung to their boyfriends, and the rest just stared at Snoddy in disbelief. Peppermint walked over and put her arms around her little sister, who was still standing and staring up at Snoddy.   
"He's lying," she whispered hoarsely, still staring at him, her body tense as if she were angry. "Swifty isn't dead. He's not." Her voice rose with each word she spoke. Snoddy began to feel nervous and looked to Bumlets for some help, though he received none since Bumlets had all his attentions focused on Holiday at that moment.   
It was then that Marissa's lip started to quiver, and she broke loose of her sister's comforting embrace. She ran out of the lobby and down the street. Peppermint, being the prudent one of their family, decided not to follow.   
The scene at hand had turned from a boisterous gathering to a somber meeting in no time flat. Throughout the Opera House it was much the same, because death is death, and gaiety isn't often accepted in the midst of it. 


	8. Part Six

Il Muto rehearsals began, and Socks was returned to participate in them, but Sarah had still not returned. The managers were getting nervous about her disappearance. The papers were eating it up, and that was definitely not the kind of publicity the Opera House needed. David was working diligently trying to ascertain the most plausible places she could have disappeared to, while also trying to convince Socks to come back and take her place as the lead of the show.   
"'Mystery after gala night, lead soprano disappears after one performance. Foul play is suspected of rival lead who failed to show up for the performance.' This damnable, Specs," David lamented to his partner.  
"But the seats are still selling. Gossip is worth gold when it comes to Opera, it seems," Specs pointed out.  
"Opera! You call this Opera? What a way to run an opera house. Half of your cast is gone, and still the crowd is cheering."  
"Oh, to hell with that. Forget the opera itself: with the gossip going around, we've sold almost all the seats every night."  
"Damnable, Specs! It's Damnable! Will we ever be able to keep a lead?! This is not the way to start!" David slammed his fist against the desk.  
"David, keep your voice down," Specs warned him. "It's publicity! Free publicity! Just go with it!"  
"But we have no cast. Nobody."  
"But… have you seen the queue? Oh… you have one too." He took a note up from the table and began to read it out loud. "'Dear David, what a charming gala! Christine was stupendous! We were hardly bereft when Socks decided to leave. On another note, the chorus was wonderful, but the dancing was lacking.'" He looked up at his partner with a shrug, and then looked down to read the other note in his hand. "'Dear Specs, Just a reminder: You haven't paid my salary yet. Send it care of the Ghost by mail. P.T.O.: No one likes a debtor, so it's better if you do as I say.'"  
"Who would have the gall to send something like that? Really, this is going too far. Who ever it is has a puerile brain." David sat down and crossed his arms, leaning back in the chair.   
"These are both signed O.G.," Specs pointed out.  
"Who the hell is that supposed to be? Opera Ghost? Oh, spare me! It's no longer funny. He's abusing our position in the opera."  
"And he wants money. He's a funny sort of con-artist if he thinks we're just going to give it to him like that."  
The door swung open then was slammed shut again. "Where is she?!" Jack yelled without bothering to announce himself at all.  
"You mean Socks?" Specs asked.  
"No, I mean Sarah. Where is she?"  
"Well, how should we know?" David replied irritably.  
"Oh, that's quite an answer. I take it that you sent me this note." He waved a piece of paper at the managers.  
"What are you talking about?" Specs asked.  
"Of course we didn't! Don't look at us!" David protested.  
"Then she's not with you?" Jack looked at them carefully.  
"Of course she's not!" David told him sitting up and putting his hands on the desk. "We're as clueless as you as to where she is!"  
"Monsieur, don't argue! Isn't this the letter you wrote?"  
"And what is it that we're meant to have wrote?" David asked sarcastically. Specs and Jack stared at him.  
"Written..." He corrected himself quietly.  
"'Do not fear for Miss Jacobs, the Angel of Music has her under his wing. Make no attempt to see her again.'" Jack looked at the two managers. "Well, if you didn't write it, who did?"  
The door swung open and slammed shut once more. "Where is he?!" Socks screamed, as the door opened and closed again, though more quietly than the last two times it had been opened, and Skittery stood behind Socks with his arms crossed.  
"Ah, welcome back, Socks!" David greeted her and Specs gave a little bow.  
"Your precious patron, where is he?" She asked again, not lowering her voice much.  
"What it is now?" Jack asked her, stepping forward into her view.  
"I have your letter. And I resent it greatly," she informed him haughtily.  
"Did you send it to her, Jack?" Specs asked him.  
"Of course I didn't," Jack said with a surprised tone in his voice. "What's going on?"  
"You dare to tell me," Socks said in a low voice, pointing from his chest to the letter in her other hand. "That you did not send this letter to me?"  
"What is it exactly that I'm meant to have sent to you?"  
She thrust the letter into his face and he read it aloud so that all could hear.   
"'Your days at the opera house are numbered. Sarah will be taking your place in the performance this evening. Be prepared for a grave misfortune if you try to take her place in the spotlight.'" He read.  
There was silence for a moment in the room while everyone pondered the contents of the note.  
"There are too many notes for my liking," David said finally. "And every one of them deals with Sarah. All I have heard since I took the position of manager here is her name."  
Moe opened the door and walked in, followed by Autumn. "Sarah has returned."  
"I trust she is quite exhausted," David said sarcastically.  
"Where is she now?" Jack asked anxiously.  
"I thought it best to send her to bed," Moe informed him.  
"She needed rest," Autumn chimed.  
"May I see her?" Jack asked Moe.  
"No, she won't see anyone."  
"Will she sing tonight?" Socks asked Moe seriously.  
"Here, I have a note," Moe said, holding it out.  
"Let me see it!" Jack, Socks and Skittery chimed in unison.  
"Please," Specs pushed through and took the note from Moe.  
"'Gentlemen, I have now sent you several notes of the most amiable nature, detailing how my theater is to be run. You have not followed my instructions. I will give you one last chance. Sarah has returned to you, and I am anxious that her career should progress. In the new production of 'Il Muto', you will cast Miss Jacobs as the Countess, and make Socks the Page Boy. The roll of Countess calls for charm and appeal, and the roll of the page boy is silent. This makes my casting, in a word, ideal.  
I will watch the performance from my place in box five, which will be kept empty for me. If you ignore these commands, a disaster beyond your imagination will occur.'" Specs read, then looked up at David in shock.  
"What will he think of next?" David said dejectedly.  
"Sarah! It's all a ploy to help Sarah! I know who sent this one! The Vicomte - Her lover!"  
"Indeed, can you believe that? This is insane." Jack protested.  
"Socks, darling, pet, it's a joke! It doesn't change a thing!" David assured her.  
"You're still the countess," Specs chimed. "And Sarah is the page boy! You are our star! And you always will be!"  
"This man is mad; we don't take orders from anyone!"  
"It is useless trying to appease me. You're only saying that to keep me here."  
"That Sarah Jacobs is trying to replace your true star," Skittery stated loyally. "No person could play the countess with the zeal that Socks does."  
Socks looked pleased at Skittery's assertions and rewarded them with a kiss on the cheek.  
"If you ignore his word, I have nothing but pity for you. Only bad comes from defying the Angel of Music," Moe warned in a low voice. Autumn attached herself to her mother's arm. "He will see. He knows everything…"  
"Why did he take her from me for so long? What will he do, Madame Jenkins?" Jack asked worriedly.  
"You have replaced me!" Socks accused the managers harshly and turned her back to them.  
"No, no, Socks! We haven't! You are our diva! Our star!" Specs assured her.  
"This hour will see your darkest fears," Moe told Jack ominously.  
"I must see her," he replied desperately.  
"He knows, he hears! It's not safe, Jack! You must not go and see her tonight!"  
"Where did she go?"  
"Socks, you must sing for us!" David pleaded.  
"Don't be a martyr," Moe warned Jack.  
"What new surprises lie in store?" Socks said dejectedly. "RiffRaff will play the lead next, I'm sure."  
"No, no! You are our star!" Specs told her.  
"Your public needs you! We need you!" David groveled. He dropped to his knees before her. "Your devotees are on their knees to beg you to come and play the countess tonight."  
"Would you not rather have Sarah play it?" Socks asked sarcastically.  
"Can you bow out when all your fans are shouting your name? They expect to see you at the theater tonight! Imagine how heartbroken they'll be if they see Sarah on the stage instead of you!"   
Socks turned towards him.  
"You are our Prima Donna! You will play our lead! Your public needs you!" David continued to plead.  
Socks sighed. "You know, you're right. I can't desert my public." She stepped forward and looked up as if inspired, standing in the direct center of the room. "Prima Donna, your song will live again, and you will never be overshadowed by that chorus girl."  
"This can come to no good," Moe warned, but her warnings fell on deaf ears.  
Socks breathed in deeply and turned to Skittery. "Come, we must go ready ourselves for the performance this evening," she told him with a smile, and sauntered out, her nose once more up in the air.  
David and Specs gave each other congratulatory smiles. They had their lead back, and the chorus girl had returned safely from her sojourn.  
Moe pursed her lips. "See you this evening, gentlemen," she bade them, and turned to the door. She exited with Autumn on her heels.  
Jack nodded at them with a dejected air and left as well, hoping that if he went to Sarah's house, he might still get to see her, despite what Moe had warned him.  
David and Specs sat down in their seats. David sighed and undid his tie. Specs put his glasses on the table.   
"That could have gone much worse," he admitted, soliciting a nod from David. 


	9. Part Seven

Here we will leave our much-relieved managers, and focus on the disconsolate lover who was on his way to see his Angel of Music. Medda, Sarah's surrogate mother, opened the door to him, looking haggard, but relieved at the same time.   
"She's in her room," she informed Jack. "She won't sleep. I don't know if she'll see you. She doesn't want to see anyone. I'll ask her if she'll see you. I can make no guarantees." She turned and headed up the stairs.  
Jack nodded. He closed the door behind him and followed her. He waited patiently outside Sarah's bedroom door while Medda asked Sarah whether she would like to see Jack. Medda withdrew from the room and looked at Jack worriedly. "She won't see you," she told him. "You're welcome to stay, if you wish. I'm going to stay in with her."  
Jack sighed as Medda disappeared into Sarah's room once more. She went over to the bed and sat on the edge of it, stroking Sarah's hair gently.  
"Honey, where have you been? We've been terribly worried." She looked down at the pale girl on the bed with bewilderment in her eyes.   
In a meek, quiet voice, Sarah began to relate to Medda her experiences with the Phantom.   
  
The Phantom walked quickly through a dark, musty passage, and Sarah followed him closely. He led her into a small boat, only big enough to hold three people at the most. He began to maneuver the boat as if it were a gondola through the heavy mist over the water. Sarah saw dim lights, but she didn't know where they came from.   
The Phantom was humming, and Sarah looked around, trusting her angel completely. She looked at him curiously.   
"You sang to me while I slept. It was your voice that called to me time after time in my dressing room. I must be dreaming, because I am continually hearing you in my head," she said, more to herself than to him.  
"You will sing our strange duet with me once more. My power over you will grow." Sarah was looking around her, not listening to him. "And though you are turning from me to glance behind you, I will always be there- inside your mind."  
Sarah looked at him hard. "Those who have seen your face have cringed in fear. I am the mask you wear to the world."  
"It's me they hear when you sing. My spirit-"  
"With my voice combined."  
"The Phantom of the Opera is there, in your head."  
Sarah heard distant singing, though she couldn't make out the words. It sounded to her like the voices of the opera cast, though she knew not why they would continue to sing.  
"In all your fantasies, you always knew that man and mystery were combined in me. And now in my maze of darkness, you can be with me forever." Sarah looked at him, almost as if in a trance. "Sing for me, your Angel of Music," he demanded.  
Sarah sat up more and started to sing, as if possessed, her song getting more complex and extravagant every second. As the boat neared the shore on the other end, she belted one last high note, before passing out into the bottom of the boat.  
  
When she awoke again, a small music box, shaped like a barrel organ, was next to her. She listened to it and stared at it, while trying to remember what had happened. There was mist, she thought. And a big lake. There were lights all around me. But where am I? There was a boat… and in the boat… there was a man. She found that she was surrounded by candles, and the Phantom sat at a large pipe organ, looking somewhat frustrated. She sat up, feeling dizzy for a moment.  
"Ah, you're awake, my dear," he commented and stood up. He came over to her and helped her up, and led her nearer to where there was a large chair and a mirror with a figurine inside of it.   
"I have brought you to the seat of music's throne. Here, all must pay reverence to music. You have come for one purpose and one alone. Ever since the first time I heard you sing, I have needed you here with me, to serve me, and to sing the music that I write."  
Sarah just stared at him, in utter and complete shock. Almost as if on cue, the Phantom began to sing:  
"Night-time sharpens,   
heightens each sensation . . .   
Darkness stirs and   
wakes imagination . . .   
Silently the senses   
abandon their defences . . ."  
He inched closer and closer to her as he sang, though not as if he were going to attack her.  
"Slowly, gently   
night unfurls its splendour . . .   
Grasp it, sense it -   
tremulous and tender . . .   
Turn your face away   
from the garish light of day,   
turn your thoughts away   
from cold, unfeeling light -   
and listen to   
the music of the night . . .  
Close your eyes   
and surrender to your   
darkest dreams!   
Purge your thoughts   
of the life   
you knew before!   
Close your eyes,   
let your spirit   
start to soar!   
And you'll live   
as you've never   
lived before . . ."  
He reached her, and he touched her cheek softly with his fingertips. She cringed at the coldness of his hand, and he removed it momentarily. He continued to touch her face and hands gently, now not receiving any protest because she was so engrossed in the words and the beauty of his song.  
"Softly, deftly,   
music shall caress you . . .   
Feel it, hear it,   
secretly possess you. . .   
Open up your mind,   
let your fantasies unwind,   
in this darkness which   
you know you cannot fight -   
the darkness of   
the music of the night . . .  
Let your mind   
start a journey through a   
strange new world!   
Leave all thoughts   
of the world   
you knew before!   
Let your soul   
Take you where you   
long to be !   
Only then   
can you belong   
to me . . .  
Floating, falling,   
sweet intoxication!   
Touch me, trust me   
savour each sensation!   
Let the dream begin,   
let your darker side give in   
to the power of the music that I write -   
the power of the music of the night . . ."  
He took her hand and led her over to the mirror. Gazing into it, she saw a perfect wax figurine of herself, wearing an extravagant white wedding gown. She took several steps towards it, in order to examine it more closely, when the figuring thrust its hands through the mirror, sending shards of glass to the floor around it. Sarah screamed and fainted out of fright. The Phantom caught her, and lifted her up. He carried her to a bed on the other side of the room where he laid her down.   
When Sarah once again woke up, it was morning. The music box had been moved next to the bed she found herself in, and it was playing. The Phantom sat at his organ once more, not playing, but writing furiously. She crept out of the bed and towards the Phantom, eying his mask curiously.  
"Whose was that face in the shadows?" she whispered as she neared him. "Whose is the face in the mask?" She reached out and snatched the mask off of him.  
The Phantom gasped. "Damn you! You little prying Pantora! You little Viper! Is this what you wanted to see?" he screamed, motioning towards his misshapen face. "Curse you! You little lying Delilah! I cannot ever let you free now!" He dropped to his knees. "Damn you…" He covered his face with his hands. "Curse you…" He looked up at her from the floor.  
"It's stranger than you ever dreamt it. Can you even bear to look or think of me now? A loathsome gargoyle, who is burning in hell, but longs to be in heaven secretly…  
"But Sarah, fear can turn to love. You'll learn to find the man behind the monster; the repulsive carcass, who seems a beast, but dreams of beauty secretly…" He shook his head. "Oh, Christine…" he held his hand out to her for his mask. He placed the mask back in its place, hiding his deformed face. Sarah just stared at him, her face eyes filled with pity, and her face expressing shock.  
"Come, we must return. Those two fools who run my theatre will be missing you," he told her, taking her hand and leading her back towards the boat they came in.  
Medda stared at Sarah as if she had lost her mind. "All of that really happened?" she asked skeptically.   
Sarah nodded. It had happened, and she knew it, whether anyone else believed her or not.  
Jack sat outside the bedroom. He had listened to Sarah's tale, and his eyes were wide with wonderment. Could these tales she told be true? If they were, the magic in books and in plays was real, and those who had balked at it were wrong. But-no, it couldn't be. Magic didn't exist, and Christine must have been dreaming. He stood up and made his way back down the stairs, trying to put the pieces together. Something wasn't adding up, and he would figure it out, regardless of what it took.   
Il Muto rehearsals were well under way, and Christine moved about like a zombie. She had little heart in her roles, and rarely smiled except when talking about or to Jack.  
"Alright, take a break, everyone," Moe instructed her dancers. Autumn walked over to Sarah.   
"Are you alright?" she asked. "You still seem unnatural."  
Sarah shrugged. "I don't know. I just… I don't really know." She sighed softly. 


	10. Part Eight

Il Muto rehearsals were well under way, and Christine moved about like a zombie. She had little heart in her roles, and rarely smiled except when talking about or to Jack.  
"Alright, take a break, everyone," Moe instructed her dancers. Autumn walked over to Sarah.   
"Are you alright?" she asked. "You still seem unnatural."  
Sarah shrugged. "I don't know. I just… I don't really know." She sighed softly.  
"What's the matter, Sarah? You can tell me," Autumn persisted.  
Sarah looked at her friend carefully. "My father used to speak of an Angel of Music, and I used to dream he'd come to me. Now, as I sing, I can sense him with me, and I know he's here." She looked like she was in a trance. "He calls to me softly while I'm in my dressing room, hiding somewhere inside it. Somehow I know he's always with me… the unseen genius."  
"That night, the night you sang, I watched you from the shadows, distant through all the applause. I hear your voice often in the darkness after a rehearsal or a performance, but the words aren't yours," Autumn told her uneasily.  
Sarah's eyes were closed, and she wasn't listening. "Angel of Music, guide, and guardian, grant to me your glory…" she said in a prayer-like voice, her face fearful.  
"Who is this Angel, Sarah? This 'Angel of Music'?" She took one of Sarah's hands in hers.  
"He's with me, even now, Autumn."  
"Your hands are cold…"  
"All around me…"  
"Your face is white, Sarah…"  
"It frightens me…"  
"Don't be frightened," she reassured her friend, putting her arm around her shoulders. Sarah looked at Autumn fearfully.  
Moe walked in right then, spoiling the moment. "Autumn Jenkins, are you a dancer or aren't you?"  
Autumn nodded.  
"Then come and rehearse with the rest of the dancers." Autumn stood and ran over to where the dancers were running over their sequence repeatedly. "Sarah, you're wanted backstage to rehearse with Socks." Sarah nodded, and stood up.  
"Thank you, Madame," she whispered, and went backstage to work with the temperamental Diva.   
"I'm worried about her," Autumn confided to Tunes and Princess. "She's talking about that Angel of Music again, only now she talks about him as if she's half terrified of him. I don't understand. It scares me."  
"That's creepy," Princess commented, tripping over her foot, then correcting herself. "Maybe she should see a doctor."  
Tunes shrugged. "I don't know. She seems just fine when Jack's around. Maybe she's in love with him."  
"He can't sing a note. She's definitely not talking about him as an angel of music," Cats informed them over her shoulder.  
"How do you know he can't sing? Have you had him sing for you lately?" Hades commented sarcastically.  
"Nobody asked you," Cats retorted. Hades shot a glare in her direction and lost concentration, bumping right into Marissa. She looked at Marissa carefully. The girl hadn't recovered from the shock of Swifty's funeral yet, and was like a robot. She had no expression on her face, and no emotion in her movements.  
Hades waited for the volcano to erupt, as would normally have happened had she run carelessly into Marissa, but nothing happened except that Marissa just stopped dancing. She then dropped to her knees on the floor and started to sob. The corps stopped dancing, and many just stood and stared at her. Peppermint went and put her arms around her sister, followed by Siscily and Lotus Blossom.  
"That's the first time she's cried since He died," Aki told Hades.   
"Poor girl," Illusion commented to nobody in particular.   
RiffRaff tapped her foot irritably, but said nothing, for once. She knew what it was to lose somebody one cared a lot about.   
"Are we a ballet corps or a gossip club?" Moe commented, returning. "Get back to your sequence girls. Peppermint, take Marissa somewhere else for now. Tell her she may return when she feels up to it."  
Siscily and Lotte looked uncomfortably at Moe. They wanted to follow their friend and comfort her, but didn't want to lose their jobs. "Are you two statues? Dance," Moe commanded, and they reluctantly took their spots.  
"So, was she really his sweetheart? He never said anything to me about it," Pyro commented.  
"They weren't being public about it. His mother didn't want him to see any girls while she was living," Siscily answered.   
"How do you know she wasn't just saying that to get attention?" Martini asked skeptically.  
"Ask his best friend. The only person he told was Snoddy," Lotte defended her companion.   
Holiday shrugged. "It's still very suspicious that nobody else ever knew of it. Did you two know of it?"  
"Yes," both answered.  
"Before he died?" Cats asked.  
"Yes!" both exclaimed.  
"Cluck, cluck, cluck! Do you all never stop talking? If you're going to dance, dance! If you're going to talk, get off of my stage!" Moe exclaimed with frustration.  
At that moment, the managers entered accompanied by a lady no one present had ever seen. "Madame Jenkins, may we have a word with you?" She turned to them, looking angry, then sighed.  
"Yes, gentlemen." She turned back to the dancers. "Keep going over that. I will return momentarily." She walked off the stage to where the Managers were standing.   
"Madame, we think that your time here has been served well, but that you have become ineffective as an usher and dance instructor," David began.  
"Therefore, we regret to inform you that we will be replacing you. Please meet Miss Spadey Lawrence. She begins immediately. Take as much time as you need to remove your things," Specs finished.  
Moe stared at them in complete shock. "You're firing me?" she asked quietly. The managers nodded. "Alright, then, I'll go and collect my things." She looked at her replacement. "I will tell you what we have been doing, and how things have been run in the past, so that you will know."   
Spadey nodded. "Thank you," she replied, amazed at how calmly she was taking what the managers said.   
On stage, Fool had heard the whole conversation, having been in the front. "She's been sacked! They sacked Moe!" she hissed to the others in an excited voice. "Things are going to change around here!"   
Autumn stopped dancing and looked at her mother. Her face was calm, but determined. Autumn began to dance again, half-heartedly.   
RiffRaff shook her head at Fool. "She is a good teacher. Hasn't she taught you most of what you know? I've heard of this new person. She ruined one Opera House, and didn't do a whole lot for another one. Hopefully, I can save us so that we're not the biggest laughing stock in town." She nodded at her comment as if all should agree with her.  
"Because you know everything about dance, right?" Singer commented sarcastically.  
"Yes, of course," RiffRaff replied matter-of-factly.   
Moe and Spadey walked onto the stage. "Silence," Moe said strictly. She began to explain the mechanics of the way the dance portion of the opera was run. "And, this is very important, you must keep Box 5 empty. The Managers might try to fill it, but you must make sure that it remains unoccupied."  
"For what reason?" Spadey asked curiously.  
"The Phantom demands that it remain empty for his personal use," she replied, straightforwardly.  
"The… Phantom… got it," Spadey replied, looking at Moe as if she were insane. "I'll remember that one."  
Moe sighed. "I'm going to go remove my things from the downstairs dressing room. Take care of my girls." With that, Moe turned and exited, leaving Spadey to her own devices.   
"That looks horrible, we'll have to re-choreograph the whole thing," she said of the sequence the girls were doing. The girls exchanged frustrated glances. It was going to be a long month. 


	11. Part Nine

The opening night of Il Muto finally came. Socks was the Countess, and Sarah was Seraphimo, the page boy. Jack stood in the hallway outside the box seats speaking with the Managers just before the curtain was to go up.   
"Perhaps you would take your seats now?" Jack suggested. "It's about to start, it looks like. I'll be sitting in Box 5."  
"Do you think that's wise?" Stress asked looking at the entrance to the box skeptically.   
"Madame, it seems that there are no other seats available. I hope you enjoy the show."  
She looked uneasy about that, as David led her into their box.  
"We sold every seat in the house," he told her. "Think of the money that means."  
"Greedy," Sunset commented. David looked at Specs with frustration in his eyes. Specs only shrugged, as if to say he couldn't do anything about her. The Managers and their ladies took their seats just as the curtain raised.  
The scene revealed a canopied bed, in which one could hear Socks' voice, but could not see her, as the drapes around the bed were drawn.  
Tunes, playing as the Countess's confidante, stood with several other chorus members on the stage as the music of the overture faded.  
"They say that this youth, this page boy, has set my lady's heart aflame!"  
"His Lordship would surely die of shock if he knew!" Holiday replied, playing a servant of the house.  
"He's the laughing-stock of the town!" Snitch exclaimed.  
"It's shameful!" Tunes sang with the music that had started.  
"Shameful!" the three sang together.   
"This faithless lady is bound for hell!" Hades sang, joining them, waving her feather-duster about.   
The curtains around the bed parted, revealing Socks and Sarah, deep in private conversation.   
"Seraphimo, your disguise is perfect. He will never know!" Socks told Sarah in a dramatic voice.  
Sarah wiggled her rear, pretending to dust the room. There was a knock at the door.  
"Whoever can that be?" Socks asked angrily.  
Skittery could be seen at the side of the stage, behind a door. "Come in, my love," Socks called to him.  
"My dear, I am called to England on affairs of State, and must leave you with your new maid." Aside to the audience, he said, "Though I'd happily take the made with me."  
Socks said aside to the audience, "The old fool is leaving!"  
"I suspect my young bride is untrue to me. I shall not leave but I shall hide over there to observe her!" Skittery revealed to the audience.   
"Addio," he bid to Socks.  
"Addio," she called back. Skittery then left the room, appearing to have left on his trip, but instead hid at the side-stage where the audience could see him.   
Socks then walked over to Sarah, who was grinning impishly at her, and pretending to be a boy. "Seraphimo, away with this pretence," Socks sang. "You cannot speak, but kiss me in my husband's absence."  
They danced around the stage once, then Socks stopped in the middle of the stage and began to sing again.  
"Poor fool, he makes me laugh!  
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!  
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!  
Time I tried to get a better better half!"  
The chorus began to chime in then, some members dancing about Sarah and Socks.   
"Poor fool, he doesn't know!  
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!  
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!  
If he knew the truth he'd never, ever go!"  
Over the music, a voice floated through the hall. "Didn't I instruct you that Box 5 was to be kept empty?"  
Autumn looked terrified. "It's him! It's the Phantom!"  
Sarah looked fearful, and started to look around her everywhere. "It's Him, I know it! It's Him!"  
Socks glared at her. "Your part is silent, little toad!" she hissed.  
"A toad, Madame? Perhaps it is you who are the toad…" the voice said.  
Socks looked uneasy at this. She walked over to the conductor, and instructed him to begin at her part once more.  
"Seraphimo, away with this pretence!  
You cannot speak, but kiss me in my husband's-Croak!"  
Socks looked amazed at this happening. The rest of the cast is silent. The music continued once more, and over it the Phantom's laughing could be heard.   
"Poor fool, he makes me laugh!  
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!  
Croak! Croak! Croak!"  
Socks looked frantic as she found herself unable to stop croaking. The lights of the chandelier flickered as the Phantom's laugh rang through even louder than before.   
"Behold!" he said. "She is singing to bring down the chandelier!"  
Socks shook her head at the Managers in their box. "I can't go on! I can't!" she cried, beginning to sob.   
Skittery rushed on. "I'm here, Socks. I'm here; it's alright," he reassured her.  
The managers rushed onto the stage as Skittery ushered Socks off of it, howling.   
"Ladies and gentlemen, the performance will continue in ten minutes' time," David informed them as chorus members exited quickly "It will continue with Sarah Jacobs playing the role of the Countess, and Aki O'Brien as the page boy."  
"In the meantime," Specs continued. "We will give you the ballet from Act Three of tonight's opera." He looked down at the Conductor. "Maestro, the ballet, now," he instructed through clenched teeth.   
The corps de ballet entered and began to dance, looking terrified as they did so. Behind the backdrop, there were shadows of the phantom showing. Autumn saw these, and fell out of step in the dance. Right at that moment, the body of Racetrack Higgins fell onto the stage with a rope around his neck. The ballet troupe on the stage let out a screech, and Tunes fainted dead away.  
Sarah's eyes got wide. "Jack! Jack!" she called desperately.   
"Come with me!" he told her, leading her off of the stage.  
"No, up to the roof. We'll be safe there!" she told him, anxiously.  
Policemen ran onto the stage as all the stage hands rushed down from their spots to see who had fallen onto the stage. David waved his hands at the audience, trying to placate them. "Please remain in your seats, ladies and gentlemen! It was an accident! Merely an accident! That's all!" The pandemonium in the Opera House was great.   
Sarah and Jack rushed onto the roof, Sarah looking desperate, and Jack looking confused. "Why have you brought us here?" he asked her.  
"Don't take me back there, Jack. Don't make me go back!"  
"We have to go back!"  
"He'll kill me!"  
"Be still, Sarah, be still…"  
"His eyes will find me there!"  
"Don't say that, Sarah."  
"They burn into my soul, Jack. And if he has to kill a thousand men, he'll do it!"  
"Forget this waking nightmare! The phantom is a fable, believe me!"  
"He'll kill again and again, Jack! He will!" She looked as if she were about to cry.  
"Don't talk of it, Sarah. He doesn't exist."  
"Jack, I've been there. He lives in a world where daylight dissolves into darkness! I've seen him! Could I ever forget that sight? I can never escape from his face. It was so distorted, so deformed… It was hardly a face at all…" She became thoughtful. "But his voice filled my spirit with a strange, sweet sound, and all that night, I had music in my head. And my soul began to soar because of his music."  
"It was a dream. That was all it was, Sarah. Just a dream…"  
Sarah didn't listen to him. "But in his eyes… I could see all the sadness of the world. Those… those pleading eyes, threatening, but at the same time, so adoring."  
"Sarah…. Sarah…" Jack said softly and comfortingly.  
"Sarah…" came an echo of the Phantom's voice.  
"What was that?" Sarah asked, frightened.   
"Sarah, don't talk of darkness anymore. Forget all your fears. I'm here. Nothing is going to harm you. Let me be your freedom. Let daylight dry your tears. I'm here beside you, I promise I'll stay here and guard you from all bad things."  
"Jack, just say you'll love me every waking moment, and that you'll need me with you always. Promise me that what you're saying is true… that's all I ask of you."  
"I do, Sarah, I do! Wherever you go, let me go, too. Just love me. That's all I ask." Sarah smiled up at him in a reverie. Jack leaned down and kissed her softly. Sarah hugged him close for a moment, and then pulled back.  
"Jack, I must get back! They will wonder where I am… Wait for me, Jack!" She turned to rush down the stairs.  
"I love you, Sarah!" he called.  
She turned back and ran back over to him. "Order your best horses, be with them at the door as soon as I'm done."  
"Then forever, you'll be with me!"  
"And you can protect me from the night!"  
They both turned and ran down the stairs back into the Opera House. The Phantom stepped out from behind the statue at that point. "I gave you your music, made your song live. And look, look how you have repaid me: You've denied me, and betrayed me. He was destined to love you when he heard you sing… Oh, Sarah…" He got very angry at that moment. "You will curse the day you did not do all that the Phantom asked you to do!" He shook his fist in the air.  
Sarah finished out the performance of Il Muto as the Countess. The principals in the cast came out of the curtain for their bows. As they straightened, the lights of the chandelier began to flicker once again. Looking up, the Phantom could be seen rocking it perilously. He yelled and the chandelier descended some. He looked down at Sarah, his eyes full of jealousy. "GO!" he yelled to the chandelier and it plunged downwards. Half of it landed at Sarah's feet, the other half landed off of the stage, directly atop of Spadey Lawrence.   
The headlines that filled the paper the next day caused great shock in the city: "Chandelier Falls on Replacement Opera House Dance Instructor, Dead Instantly". It was a performance that no one in the town would ever forget. 


	12. Part Ten

The entire town was amazed that the managers stuck around after the fiasco with the chandelier. The managers stuck by the opera that they owned; but whether they stayed because they wanted to or because they couldn't sell it due to the reputation it had, nobody really knew.

            They had worked hard, though, raising enough money to replace the shattered chandelier. The cast members tiptoed around the Opera House nervously, not knowing really what was safe to do and what wasn't. There was a fear for the Opera Ghost in almost all of them. Even Socks was subdued sufficiently.

            On this night, though, Specs threw a party, celebrating their first year of management of the Opera House, as well as their purchase of a new chandelier. The chorus members were in their element. 

            Various members of the chorus dotted the large ballroom. Socks, of course, had not shown up yet, and planned on entering fashionably late. 

            "Hi, Tunes, how are you? Where's Socks?" Hades asked congenially. Tunes looked over at Hades with a half-hearted smile. Of course Hades could be happy and carefree—she still had Mush to hang all over, and was taking full advantage of that right. Tunes, on the other hand, had nobody anymore, and wasn't coping well with that. She turned back to the window she was staring out of and ignored the noise that the orchestra was making as it warmed up. 

            Hades watched Tunes for a moment, then dragged Mush off to another group of ballet members.

"Hello, girls!" she greeted them enthusiastically. 

"Hey, Hades," Martini answered, grinning widely, waving her left hand through the air in a showy manner. Some of the other girls rolled their eyes, but Hades fell for her trick: hook, line, and sinker.

"What's that, Martini?" she asked and grabbed her hand. Martini grinned again and wiggled her fingers.

"My engagement ring," she answered pompously. "Blink-y asked me two days ago."

"So where _is_ your knight in shining armor, Martini?" Aki asked.

"Probably telling his sister or something. How should I know?" Martini shrugged and turned to Hades to tell her all the gory details of his proposal, which the others had already heard. 

"Crazy, huh? She's the first to get married in a long time. I hope she knows that she won't be able to dance anymore now," Aki commented to Peppermint, who was passing by.

Peppermint shrugged. "I'm sure she realizes it. She appears to love him enough to give up her dancing." She continued to walk over to where her sister was perched on the stairs.

"Like it took any real convincing to get her to quit dancing," Cats scoffed. "She never _really_ enjoyed it much anyway. I think it was more of a hobby to her."

"Unlike you?" Princess asked sarcastically.

"Shut up, Priss-ess. Oh, excuse me, did I mispronounce your name?" Cats tossed her hair and went back to talking to Aki and Peppermint.

            Princess turned to Lotus Blossom and rolled her eyes. "She's being such a bitch. I think I understand how she got her name. She can sure be catty sometimes."

            "I still can't believe she tripped you during those auditions. It was very low of her," Lotus Blossom sympathized.

            "She knew that I would get it if she didn't. I'm better than she is. Besides, she _knew how bad I wanted that part."_

            Lotte shrugged. "Well, what's done is done. You'll get the next one, right?"

            Princess shrugged, being inconsolable at that moment.

            Marissa was sitting on the stairs with her chin in her hands. She didn't know what to do with herself now. Everybody seemed to know everything about her relationship with Swifty, and read all sorts of things into it that hadn't existed. She was half-heartedly watching the people who entered the large room. 

            The room was quickly filling up with the various chorus members and crew members involved with the opera. Holiday and Bumlets sauntered in, completely engrossed in one another for the moment. They were so occupied with one another that they didn't notice that they were walking straight towards Pyro, Illusion and Siscily, who were talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Illusion protested as the groups collided. 

"I'm sorry," Holiday apologized absentmindedly and she and Bumlets continued to walk to wherever their destination was.

"How rude," Illusion scoffed and crossed her arms angrily over her chest.

"I should have lit them on fire," Pyro said sadly. "Damn."

Siscily gasped at Pyro's mention of fire. "You _wouldn't_!" she breathed. "That would be a horrible thing to do!"

Pyro stared at Siscily for a moment. "Oh, my god, get a life, twink. Of course I would."

Siscily stared for a moment, then her lip began to quiver and she ran off to find someone to comfort her.

"God, will she never get a clue?" Pyro whined.

"I doubt it," Illusion replied dolefully.

Sarah and Jack entered the door at that moment, both grinning quite happily. "I'm so happy, Jack," she whispered. "I love you." 

"I love you, too. Look, there's Specs and David. Let's go tell them the good news!" He started to pull her towards them, but she hesitated.

"No, Jack, not yet. Let's keep it a secret for now." She looked up at him pleadingly, her hand raising instinctively to the ring which was on a chain around her neck.

"Why a secret? What have we got to hide from anyone?"

"Please, Jack. We'll tell them when the time is right. Just not right now. Please, don't start a fight." She bit her lip nervously.

"And when will the right time be? Sarah, you're free! What is it you're afraid of?" He looked exasperated.

"You'll understand soon enough," Sarah comforted him.

"I sure hope so," he sighed. 

The orchestra began right then to play an upbeat tune, and many couples made their way to the floor to dance to it. Sarah and Jack followed.

As she had planned, Socks arrived fashionably late. She created quite a scene as she and Skittery burst through the doors to the ballroom. She was beaming, knowing full well that she had the lead role secured for the next show. 

She smiled smugly at everyone as many of the chorus members started to crowd around her. The orchestra stopped playing as there was a commotion and people were leaving the dance floor quickly. _That_ wasn't supposed to happen. Socks was pleased at the disruption she'd managed to cause in the large room. Before long, though, order was restored once again, and the orchestra began again. Several couples wandered to the floor and began their dancing once more. Around the dance floor, though, the chatter and drama hadn't stopped. The brief distraction of Socks's entrance didn't lessen it one bit. 

Having long since recovered from her shock at Pyro, Siscily had returned to her friends, and was happily chattering to them.

"And they way it's the newest fashion straight from Paris," she concluded. Pyro, Aki, and Princess were staring blankly at her. She had just finished a 15-minute spiel about the fashions she saw when shopping that week. 

She flashed them a big, contented smile, then sauntered off to inform someone else of her many revelations regarding fashion.

Princess just stared as the girl walked away.

"Can I light _her_ on fire?" Pyro asked carefully. "Anyone who goes on like that about clothes for that long deserves it."

Aki nodded. "I can't help but agree with you there," she admitted quietly. She turned to Princess. "Have you talked to Marissa at all lately?"

Princess shook her head. "No, I haven't. And, as far as I know, neither has anyone else. She won't talk to her sister, even." She paused. "But then, when did Marissa ever tell Peppermint anything?"

Aki shrugged and nodded once more as Lotus Blossom approached them. "Hello, again, ladies," she greeted them, grinning happily.

Princess raised an eyebrow. "What's made you so happy?" she asked.

"Does there have to be something? Can't I just be happy to see my friends?" Lotte protested, still grinning, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Yes, there does. Spill," Aki told her with a grin as Pyro wandered off elsewhere to find some entertainment. She passed by Marissa, sitting by a window, disconsolately staring out of it. She started to approach the girl, but something about the pensive look on the girl's face made her think against conversation and she moved on. 

Indeed, Marissa was a little perturbed at being there at all. She knew she _should_ be there, especially if she expected to keep her job, but seeing all of the happy people around her, seemingly oblivious to her pain. Nobody understood it. Everyone had made up his or her mind about what her relationship with Swifty. Not one person had actually asked her about it. Not one. She felt that immensely. Granted, it had been over a year since the event had happened, but she and Swifty had had a different kind of relationship than the others in the chorus were prone to having. But, at the moment, all Marissa knew was that she was having a terrible time, while, she was certain, everyone else in the chorus were having a marvelous time discussing her tragedy.

Tunes, on the other hand, was not thinking about other people at all. She, too, had been dragged there by her sister, but it made very little difference to her where she was. She had too much on her mind to think about the frivolities of those around her.

_Why did it happen? I mean, what did _he_ do to offend the Ghost … or the Phantom … or whatever he is. God, I miss him so much. I don't know how Marissa was so calm for so long. My life will _never_ be the same again. I'll never love anyone again, either. Socks says that I will, but I know I won't. I'll always love Racetrack. I mean, I'm certain we were going to get married. Wouldn't we have been the envy of everyone, then? I guess it doesn't matter now. My life is ruined forever. I'll never get married; I'll never have children. I'm destined to be an old maid. And I'll be forgotten. They'll never give me the lead dancing roles now. Not after I missed a month of rehearsals. Socks can do it all she goddamn wants to, but no, not me. I can't do it. I'm not Socks. She's the diva, and I'm just her sister. I'm certain that they wouldn't have me back if it weren't for her. I wish I could be immensely talented at something, like Socks is, and RiffRaff, and, hell, Sarah. Then, maybe, I'd get some recognition around here. God, even Race got more recognition than me._

She slunk back into her chair sullenly. _God, I miss him_, she thought once again, and her train of thought continued along that line. Perhaps she was right about some parts of that statement; perhaps not. Whether she was or not, not one person would know how miserable she was, because she wouldn't tell them. 

There were, in fact, many people unaware of the internal anguish from which these two girls were suffering. Ironically, these people were the managers of the Opera. Specs and David sat at a table in the corner chatting amiably with one another, as well as with Stress and Sunset, and with Moe and Autumn.

"What a night," Moe commented happily. "You got quite a crowd to come this evening. I think all the patrons are here. Of course, Jack Kelly is here, as expected, but it seems the rest felt it fit to attend as well."

"Yes, I made a lot of calls and a lot of visits, but I got most all of them here. All but Mr. Bagley, who's rather too old to be attending dances, anyway," Specs informed Moe, proudly. After the disaster that befell Spadey, they hastened to beg Moe to return to the opera, noting to themselves that Spadey was _not_ as talented as some had proclaimed she was. 

David nodded. "And it's been nearly six months without a single accident, or even a trace of the Phantom. On top of that, we've got a brand new chandelier. It looks marvelous in the hall, too." 

"Well, I can hardly wait to see it," Moe told them, mustering up more enthusiasm than she truly felt. Whoo. A chandelier. Very exciting. 

"Oh, Mother, it's _so_ beautiful!" Autumn gushed. She truly was very excited about it. "It's got at least a hundred lights on it, and—" There was loud shrieking from those nearest the stairway, causing the orchestra to stop, as all attention was drawn to the sleek form descending. The figure was a male one, dressed all in black, with a mask covering his face. The mask looked like a blood red skeleton placed against a black head covering. It didn't take long for everyone, especially Sarah, to figure out that the man was indeed none other than the Phantom himself. 

He made his way down the stairs until he was in the center of the room.

"Why so silent?" he chided, looking to the table where the managers sat, looking particularly fearful. "Did you think I'd left for good?" He made his way closer to the table. Sarah clung to Jack and tried to inch behind him.

"Have you missed me?" the Phantom continued. Upon receiving no answer, he stood directly in front of the table. "Here, I have written an opera for you." He dropped the manuscript onto the table. "Don Juan Triumphant." He looked from one manager to the other, and then stalked over to Sarah. "**_You_** will sing for me. You still belong to me!" He reached out and grabbed the chain around her neck and broke it, taking it and turning from her. "I advise you to comply, gentleman. My instructions are very clear-cut. You must remember that there are worse things than a shattered chandelier." With that, he turned and disappeared into his cloak as a cloud of dark red smoke evaded the room. Sarah stood staring, her eyes very wide. 

Nobody was much in the mood to continue the merriment after that. Granted, nothing that had occurred in this evening had compared to the two previous tragedies, but something about the Phantom's appearance had killed the mood of the gala.


	13. Part Eleven

Many of the prominent members of the cast followed David and Specs hurriedly to the Opera House. Everyone wanted to hear what the Ghost had written. Even Sarah found herself a little curious. 

Jack, on the other hand, lingered behind.  "Stop," he hissed, as he reached out and grabbed Moe's arm, preventing her from leaving. "You know something, don't you? Something that nobody else knows about _Him_."

Moe stared at him for a moment, then pulled her arm away. "Of course I don't, I have no idea what you're talking about," she told him hastily and began to walk away. Jack stepped in front of her before she got three steps, though.

"No, I really think you do. Tell me, now." Jack crossed his arms and stood directly in front of her. Moe stared at him again, and then sighed.

"Please," Jack persisted.

"Alright, alright. It was years ago. I was traveling through the city. There were tumblers, and oddities … freaks of nature…" She paused.

"Right, right, go on…" Jack urged her.

"Well, I'll never forget _him_. It was a man, locked in a cage…"

"Locked in a cage…?" The horror on Jack's face was apparent. 

"He was a prodigy! A scholar, architect, musician … they talked to no end about his talents."

"And he composed." The pieces were falling into place. 

"An inventor, too, good sir. They said that he had built the Shah of Persia a maze of mirrors."

"Who was this man?"

"A human oddity. More of a monster than a man…"

"Deformed?"

"From his birth, it seems. Then he went missing. Escaped." She turned partially away from him, as if recalling the details of that time. "Some said that he died."

"But he didn't, did he?" Jack stepped a little closer, listening very closely to her words.

"The world forgot him, but no matter how I try, I never can. In the darkness of this year, I have seen him again. I see him. He is ever-present."

"So, this man … he's our phantom, our ghost, is he?"

Moe turned and stared at him. "I've said too much as it is. There have been far too many accidents." She turned and started to walk quickly away, almost running.

"Accidents?! I'd hardly call those accidents! A man is hung, that's not an accident!" Jack trotted some to catch up, then stopped, as he heard Moe's voice echo once more "too many …" as she turned the corner to go to the office where everyone else was now convened. Jack, too, made his way there, hoping that he might catch up with Sarah on the way.

Specs and David were seated at a table in the center of their office, poring over the score of their next opera, Don Juan Triumphant.

"This is ludicrous! How utterly ridiculous!" David growled, slapping the score shut.

"This is the last straw," Specs added.

"It's crazy! We can't do this script!"

"But, how can we refuse him … ?" David looked over at Specs after this comment and sighed. 

"There's no way we could afford another chandelier," David admitted. 

"Look what I have here," Specs said in a low voice. He waved a note around and then proceeded to open it.

"_Dear, dear Mr. McCormick,_

_            About the orchestration of this opera. For this, we will need another first bassoon. It would be wise if you would find a player who has any agreeable tone to him at all. Also, that third trombone has got to go. The man could not be deafer, so you'd do best to find one who plays in tune."_

At this time, David had also found a note, and had opened it. He scoffed, then proceeded to read it aloud for Specs's amusement.

"_Mr. Jacobs:_

_            With this new opera, some of your chorus must be let go. If you could please, find out which of them has a sense of pitch, and you might give a minor role to the ones who cannot act."_

"This is _ridiculous_!" Socks screamed, slamming her script onto the table.

"What is it _now_?" David sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Have you _seen_ the size of my part?"

"Madame, listen— "

Skittery came up and put his arm around Socks. "This is an insult."

"Not you as well," Specs groaned.

"Well, it's an insult to my dear Socks!" Skittery maintained.

"The _things_ I have to do for my art!" Socks huffed, wiping away a tear, which was not likely actually there.

"If you could call _this_ art," Skittery agreed.

At that moment, Sarah walked through the door, closely followed by Jack and Moe. Others were grouped up close to the door, listening to the happenings within the office, though they could understand very little through the closed door.

"Oh, lookee, here, the little flower of the stage." Socks's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Aha, Miss Jacobs. Quite the lady of the hour," David agreed.

Sarah looked around in confusion.

"You have secured the largest role in this opera," Specs explained.

"She doesn't have the voice for it, as far as I'm concerned," Socks muttered.

"Socks, _please_!" David hissed.

"Then, I take it you're agreeing with her?" Jack asked angrily, glaring openly at Socks, then stepping closer to David.

"She's behind all this," Socks said in a low voice, to which Skittery nodded.

"It appears we have no choice but to do it this way," David said, to no person in particular.

"She's the one behind this! It's _her_ doing! It's all Sarah's doing!" Socks yelled, unable to contain herself any longer.

"How _dare_ you!" Sarah breathed, positively fuming. "You evil, _evil_ woman! How dare you accuse me of something like this?"

"I'm not a _fool_! Do you think I'm _blind_? I'm not stupid!" Socks crossed her arms and shot a glare at Sarah.

"This isn't _my_ fault! I didn't ask for any part in this! In fact, I'd just as soon _not_ be in this at all!"

"But surely…" David protested.

"Why not?" Specs asked quickly, hoping that it wasn't Socks who had driven the girl away.

"What did she say?" Skittery asked Socks, apparently having not heard a single word of their exchange.

"I mean, it's your decision, obviously—" Specs turned and looked directly at her. "But why _not_?" 

"You have a duty!" David added quickly, and rather hastily.

"She's backing out!" Socks answered Skittery triumphantly. That was just what she needed Sarah to do. Then she would be back in the hearts of the audiences, and Sarah would be back as chorus girl.

"I can't do it—duty or not." Sarah turned and faced Jack, then nestled into his arms.

"They can't make you do it. Only do it if _you_ want to," Jack advised her.

"Please, sirs, another note," Moe informed them, holding out the menacing piece of paper.

David dropped into his chair and started massage his forehead. He waved his arm at her in gesture to read the note.

  


"_Fondest greetings to you all,_" was written. "_I have a few instructions before you begin rehearsals. Socks needs to be taught to act. Her normal trick of strutting around the stage will _not_ work in this show. Skittery needs to gain some weight. You can hardly see him on the stage next to the women's costumes. My managers must learn that their place is in the office, not in the opera house._

_As for Miss Sarah Jacobs: No doubt that she has a good voice. I'm sure she'll do her best. Though, should she wish to excel, as she has much still to learn, she should return to me, her teacher._

_Your obedient friend, and angel,"_

Moe looked up. Everyone knew who the note was from. There was no need to complete the statement.

Jack detached from Sarah's grasp and stepped forward, directly in the center. "We've been stupid and blind," he told them. "Here's the answer, looking right at us, and we didn't see it."

"We're listening," David said, raising his head and looking up at Jack.

"We'll play his game. We'll perform his opera, but remember that _we _hold the ace, because if Sarah sings, he's definitely going to be there."

Specs nodded ecstatically. "We make sure all the doors are locked up—"

"And that the police are there!" David added.

"The curtain falls, and his reign over the Opera House will end!" Jack finished triumphantly.

"Madness!" Moe shrieked. "That is pure madness! Are you trying to get yourselves killed?"

"Not if it works! The tide will turn! The House will be free once again!" David laughed, doing a little jig.

"Sir, believe me, there is no way of turning the tides on this battle."

"Stick to ballet!" Specs told her, getting somewhat angry. "That _is_ your job, after all."

"Help us!" Jack suggested.

"No, no, I can't," Moe protested, fearfully.

"Instead of warning us, help us out! Tell us how to accomplish this most successfully!" David persisted, agreeing with Jack.

"I really wish I could," Moe told them, backing away slightly.

"Don't make excuses!" David ordered.

Jack paused and turned to her. "Or maybe it's that you're on _his_ side…?" He suggested, angrily. Sarah was shocked at the display of wills, and was shaking her head ferociously at them all. She knew Moe was right. She couldn't help.

Moe stopped and squared off towards the three gentlemen. "Sirs, believe me—I intend you no ill will, but you know he will not hesitate to kill someone. We have seen him do it in the past many more times than I like to recount."

"If this works, you'll have freed us all from this hell, Jack!" David enthused. "Imagine what that means! No more fear in the opera house! No strings to pull, or toes to fear treading on!"

Specs was nodding ecstatically at Jack and grinning like a madman. 

"It'll undo everything he's done up for himself! You two will actually be able to run the opera with nobody to tell you what to do!"

"_Our_ opera! Imagine that!" Specs laughed. The glee exuding from the three men was incredible.

Sarah, on the other hand, was standing there, shaking her head mutely, and whispering "No, you can't. No …" 

Socks noticed this and scoffed to Skittery. "Well, she certainly is quite out of her head. She wouldn't last long at all in _my_ place before she lost it completely."

"How right you are," Skittery agreed, a smug smile on his face. 

"Jack! You can't do this!" Moe warned in a low tone. "This is almost suicide on your part. You know he has no qualms with killing! Please…"

Her warnings fell upon deaf ears. To tell the truth, Jack had ceased to listen to her. 

David was motioning around, to further the point he was making to Specs. "… And since Sarah's going to sing it for us, he'll come, and they'll get him. I can see it all so clearly. It's going to be wonderful!" Neither of them seemed to notice the agonizing fear on Sarah's face, nor the menacing look that Moe was giving each of the exuberant men.

"If you don't stop now, I'll go mad!" Sarah shrieked. All heads turned to her. Of course, Socks and Skittery started whispering further about her blatant insanity, and Jack came over and took her up into his arms. "Jack," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I'm scared. Don't make me do this. Please, please, don't. If I do this, he'll take me, and this time I won't ever be able to come back. Spot isn't a forgiving man."

"Spot…?" Jack asked in a confused voice. "Who is Spot?"

"It's his name … the Angel's name," Sarah answered him, no louder than before.

"Sarah, you yourself said that he was nothing but a man—a human…"

"So this is it, then?" Sarah said, a tear slipping down her face. She pulled away from him, and turned to face all the others in the room. "I have to go up there and sing, and risk my life, just to hope for the chance to live. And what if it doesn't succeed? He'll take me, and keep me there, and continue forever to sing his songs in my head."

"She's mad…" Socks hissed in Skittery's ear, staring blankly at the girl.

Jack went and stood in front of her and held her by the arms. He looked her straight in the eyes as he spoke. "Sarah, don't think that I don't care about you. I do care. I care more than I can say, but at the moment, all of our hopes for the Opera House rest upon you. You have to do this. Do it for me… Please?" He kept his eyes locked on hers very seriously.

Sarah's eyes welled up with tears, and she bit her lip, looking around the room at all the faces, watching her anxiously. She was overcome with all the emotions swelling inside her, and took off to the door. She opened it quickly, causing several of the chorus members to come tumbling in, front first. She paused, but only for a moment, and was running helter-skelter, for… well, nobody knew where.

Socks and Skittery walked quickly out of the room, talking quickly to one another, and ignoring all the chorus members who were chattering quickly about what they had just heard. The managers sat down at their desks and began to look over the score some more. On with the show, they figured.

Jack sighed and made his way outside. Well, he didn't know what was going to happen, either with the opera, or with Sarah and himself. He frowned hard as he stood, looking up at the prominent sign of the opera house. "So, it's war, is it? This time, I fear, Spot, or Phantom, or whatever it is that you call yourself, the disaster is going to be yours instead of one of ours. We're on our guard. You best be on yours." He didn't know who he was talking to in particular, but he had a feeling he'd been heard. Ignoring the strange looks he was receiving from the passers-by, he made his way home, plotting out what his role in this whole plan was going to be.


End file.
